The overall purpose of this study was to examine the
psychometric properties and credibility of the Texas Christian
University (TCU) Drug Screen as an instrument to assess drug use
severity for treatment referral decisions in correctional
settings. TCU Drug Screen data were collected on 18,364 Texas
Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) inmates (15,816 males and 2,548
females) who completed the screen between January 1 and April 30,
1999. Of the 18,364 subjects, 13,902 were Institutional Division
(TDCJ-ID) inmates and 4,462 were State Jail Division (TDCJ-SJD)
inmates. The TCU Drug Screen was administered by TDCJ staff almost
exclusively in a small group setting (12-25 inmates per group) as part
of a larger battery of assessments during the intake process at a TDCJ
facility. The level and intensity of treatment services needed was
then determined and a referral decision was made. As part of this
study, the relationship between TCU Drug Screen information and
post-release reincarceration was examined. Although one original goal
in the study was to assess the comparability, or concurrent validity,
of the TCU Drug Screen with the lengthier, more comprehensive
Addiction Severity Index (ASI), TDCJ changed the administration
protocol for the ASI so that it was given only to a subsample of 3,245
inmates who failed to disclose drug use problems on the TCU Drug
Screen. The data include inmate responses to all items of the TCU Drug
Screen and the overall drug screen score. There is also demographic
information as well as incarceration, release, and reincarceration
data.

The overall purpose of this study was to examine the
psychometric properties and credibility of the Texas Christian
University (TCU) Drug Screen as an instrument to assess drug use
severity for treatment referral decisions in correctional
settings. TCU Drug Screen data were collected on 18,364 Texas
Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) inmates (15,816 males and 2,548
females) who completed the screen between January 1 and April 30,
1999. Of the 18,364 subjects, 13,902 were Institutional Division
(TDCJ-ID) inmates and 4,462 were State Jail Division (TDCJ-SJD)
inmates. The TCU Drug Screen was administered by TDCJ staff almost
exclusively in a small group setting (12-25 inmates per group) as part
of a larger battery of assessments during the intake process at a TDCJ
facility. The level and intensity of treatment services needed was
then determined and a referral decision was made. As part of this
study, the relationship between TCU Drug Screen information and
post-release reincarceration was examined. Although one original goal
in the study was to assess the comparability, or concurrent validity,
of the TCU Drug Screen with the lengthier, more comprehensive
Addiction Severity Index (ASI), TDCJ changed the administration
protocol for the ASI so that it was given only to a subsample of 3,245
inmates who failed to disclose drug use problems on the TCU Drug
Screen. The data include inmate responses to all items of the TCU Drug
Screen and the overall drug screen score. There is also demographic
information as well as incarceration, release, and reincarceration
data.

Guidelines for Applying for Restricted Data

Before you begin an application you will need the following information to complete the form

General Requirements:

appointment at research institution; appointment must be under the jurisdiction of the receiving institution

degree requirements (possibly doctorate)

Must be submitted:

project description

IRB approval

approved security plan

roster of research and IT staff who can access or view the data or computer where data are hosted.

confidentiality pledges for all people on roster

Some require:

CV's

Access to these data is restricted. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete a Restricted Data Use Agreement, specify the reasons for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research.

Any public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public.
Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.

Methodology

Study Purpose:
The overall purpose of this study was to examine
the psychometric properties and credibility of the Texas Christian
University (TCU) Drug Screen as an instrument to assess drug use
severity for treatment referral decisions in correctional
settings. There were several specific aims of this study: (1) to
examine the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) implementation
protocol for the TCU Drug Screen, (2) to substantiate the form's
credibility through a comprehensive assessment of its psychometric
properties, including estimates of internal consistency reliability,
(3) to establish normative data for representative samples of Texas
inmates, thereby providing severity of drug use information for
logical and meaningful referent groups, and providing a means to
identify subsamples with the highest levels of drug use and greatest
need for treatment, and (4) to provide a revised version of the
instrument for public dissemination.

Study Design:
TCU Drug Screen data were collected on 18,364
Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) inmates (15,816 males and
2,548 females) who completed the screen between January 1 and April
30, 1999. Of the 18,364 subjects, 13,902 were Institutional Division
(TDCJ-ID) inmates and 4,462 were State Jail Division (TDCJ-SJD)
inmates. Two meetings were held with staff at the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice -- Program and Services Division (TDCJ-PSD), and
administration of the drug screen was observed. Although designed to
be administered in a group or individual setting, the TCU Drug Screen
was administered by TDCJ staff almost exclusively in a small group
setting (12-25 inmates per group) as part of a larger battery of
assessments during the intake process at a TDCJ facility. A staff
person handed out the instrument and explained that TDCJ provided
treatment services to inmates who had a demonstrated need and that
responses to the instrument could have an impact on whether or not
they received treatment services while incarcerated. Inmates were
reminded that untruthful responses (particularly if inconsistent with
other information in their file such as admissions of drug use during
a presentence investigation) might not be viewed favorably during the
prerelease supervision review process. The TCU Drug Screen
instructions and items were then read aloud, with inmates being asked
to follow along and to respond only after an item was read. For those
who did not speak English, a bilingual staff person or inmate assisted
in the administration of the form. Once completed, the screens were
optically scanned and scored and a computer-generated report with the
TCU Drug Screen was printed. The level and intensity of treatment
services needed was then determined and a referral decision was
made. A review of existing records also was conducted to determine if
there was any evidence of drug-related problems. As part of this
study, the relationship between TCU Drug Screen information and
post-release reincarceration was examined. Of the 18,364 subjects, a
subset of inmates had been released from TDCJ at least one year prior
to the collection of reincarceration data, thus eligible to be
included in analyses of one-year post-release reincarceration
data. The remaining subjects had either not been released or were
released within the year and were therefore excluded from follow-up
analyses. Although one original goal in the study was to assess the
comparability, or concurrent validity, of the TCU Drug Screen with the
lengthier, more comprehensive Addiction Severity Index (ASI), TDCJ
changed the administration protocol for the ASI so that it was given
only to a subsample of 3,245 inmates who failed to disclose drug use
problems on the TCU Drug Screen. Furthermore, prior to ASI
administration, an interviewer explained to the inmates that this was
their second chance to report any drug-related problems, confronted
them with any corroborating evidence of drug use from their files, and
then informed them that parole review boards do not look favorably
upon inmates who are suspected of being dishonest.

Sample:
Data were collected on a cohort of 18,364 Texas Department
of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) inmates (15,816 males and 2,548 females)
who completed the TCU Drug Screen between January 1 and April 30,
1999.

Data Source:

Data were collected from the records of the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice and the Texas Christian University Drug
Screen.

Description of Variables:
The data include inmate responses to all items of
the TCU Drug Screen as well as the overall drug screen score. Also
included are demographic information such as age, race, gender, IQ
score, and highest grade completed, incarceration data, release data,
and reincarceration data, such as dates, offenses, days out, and
treatment programs attended.

Response Rates:
Not applicable.

Presence of Common Scales:
Likert-type scales are present in the TCU Drug Screen.
Educational Achievement scores, TDCJ IQ scores, the TDCJ version of
the Hoffman Recidivism Risk scores, and Addiction Severity Index (ASI)
ratings are also included in the data.